A deal to sell Market Basket to ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas is possible as early as Sunday, the governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire said in a joint statement Friday evening.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan said in a statement that all parties are optimistic that an agreement will be reached soon, with Demoulas stepping in to lead the company.

"In briefings today, all parties report that they are optimistic that an agreement will be reached to sell the company to Arthur T. Demoulas and to restore him to operating authority on an interim basis until the sale closes," the statement said.

The statement also said that the board is expected to not take any action against employees in the interim.

"Subject to reducing their agreement in principle to writing by Sunday, the Board will forestall taking adverse employment action against the employees who have abandoned their jobs. We are hopeful that employees will return to work, and the stores will reopen, early next week," the statement said.

"Having submitted his final bid on Thursday and heard the statement of the Governors this evening, Arthur T. Demoulas expects that this purchase can and should be finalized immediately," Griffin said. "The bid remains at full price and its terms are extremely favorable to the sellers.

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There is nothing that stands in the way of getting this done this weekend. It's time to complete this deal so we can all get back to doing what we love doing, and that is running Market Basket."

Demoulas was ousted in June after an ongoing feud with his cousin Arthur S. Demoulas. His firing prompted protests and walkouts from employees and a boycott from customers that has gone on for more than a month.

The chain has reportedly lost more than 90 percent of its business in some stores throughout the boycott.